We talk to Ukrainian producer Nelin about his recent E.P release ‘Mirage,’ his developing sound, and the Ukraine.
Amongst Voodoo and Prayers' glimmering repertoire of releases,
we are proud to spotlight Ukrainian producer Nelin’s recent 3 track E.P release, ‘Mirage’. Currently at home within the progressive arena, with some influence from industrial and melodic techno sounds, ‘Mirage’ is conceptually inspired by thoughts about dreams. Having made waves on the Beatport Melodic House and Techno charts with the E.P, Nelin (or Alex if called by his first name), explores the release with us. Nestled somewhere between the ethereal and pulsating space-age futurism, he describes the EP in his own words.
“It’s always interesting to see how our experiences during the day transform at night when we sleep. The title track, ‘Mirage,’ features a very calm and smooth flow of melody that carries through the entire track. However, closer to the middle, you can hear elements of mystery and anxiety. The key point here is the breakdown, as if a wanderer looking for his oasis begins to lose all hope but then still finds it…
The third track ‘Dream Therapy’ is about how dreams help you heal and recover. Often, this is truly the best medicine. And the monotonous guitar bass perfectly conveys this atmosphere.”
Of course, as well as our wishes, dreams can hint at the hidden themes of our subconscious, as well as escapism. And for Nelin this is something that, as a native Ukrainian, may resonate in more ways than one. But before I ask Nelin further questions about his current situation, and potentially approaching the sensitive topic of war, I was interested in hearing about his background, and what led him to music.
Born in the industrial city of Makiyivka in the East of Ukraine, Alex Nelin was settled in the region for 26 years until Russian forces occupied that territory in 2014. These formative years would be as it transpires significant for his music career.
“My father always had a hobby; he liked good sound. You know, old Soviet hi-fi amplifiers, cassette players, and record players. So right from childhood, I was surrounded by sound. In addition to that, my older brother used to play guitar in a small local band, and he showed me how music works. . what chords, musical notes, and stuff like that are.
When I was 13-14 years old, there were a lot of different audio tapes in my house from my older brother. It was the end of the 90s, so there was Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, Coldcut, and a lot of music from the Ninja Tune label. So that was one part of my musical inspiration. Another, and I think the main part, was a randomly bought MP3 disk in the beginning of the 00s. It was a collection of DJ compilations; there was Global Underground 019 by John Digweed, some mixes from Satoshi Tomiie, and Dave Seaman. I was captivated by those dark sounds, straight grooves. I think it really corresponded with what was around me. The late 90s and early 00s were hard times for industrial cities in Ukraine. There were closed mines and factories, no jobs, and a lot of crime. And calm, dark progressive sounds really helped me a lot back then. After that, I started to dig deeper into the progressive scene. I discovered John Graham (Quivver), Lemon8, Dousk, amazing tunes from the Hooj label, and of course, from Bedrock….
There was also no fast Internet then, so local networks for 100-200 people who shared media and communicated were popular. It was like a mini-community. I got the idea to start an online radio on which I would play electronic music. Over time I had about 10-20 regular listeners and considered it a success because few people listened to the house and drum and bass that I played there. One day I checked where these listeners were from, and absolutely all of them turned out to be from a government agency; ‘the Executive Committee,’ which was also on this local network.
Apparently, they just needed music while they worked.”
This inspired the name for Mirage’s second track ‘Radio Committee.’ With its transcending warping synths and shimmering shakes, it’s currently showing healthy support on Spotify since its release, and compliments the EP’S trilogy well.
After Makiyivka, the ominous Russian presence in 2014 coincided with Nelin leaving the East to distance himself from occupation. He migrated to the West, around 40 miles from the Polish border to the beautiful city of Lviv. Eventually he then decided upon the capital of Kyiv in 2015. For 9 years he lived in the city, until just a matter of weeks ago when he left the Ukraine all together to the cultural hotbed of Barcelona in Spain, where he is currently based.
On the sombre note of war, I ask Nelin how he feels about the current situation and the effects it’s had on him and music, which despite everything, Nelin remains stoically optimistic. A defiance often amplified through music itself.
“Obviously, after a full-fledged war began, the electronic music scene in Ukraine became almost non-existent. And it’s logical; after all, it’s a war for the survival of a nation. Those who didn’t fight on the battlefield are busy with donations, finding money to help our soldiers. But I believe that after we win, after all our cities get rid of Russian occupation, the electronic scene will come back again. Despite the circumstances, some artists still came to Ukraine. For example, I remember London Elektricity came to us. It was really amazing, really cool to have such support these days.”
Inspired, I wanted to explore Nelin's work, his process, his craft, and in particular his production. His own journey for creating music began when he was 15, in 2002.
“I found a CD with one of the first versions of Ableton. I believe back then it was two different applications; Live and Remix. I didn’t understand anything.. I just randomly moved some blocks with kick and bass sounds, trying to realise where the sound came from. Somewhere later, in 2008, I tried to work as a DJ in a local bar, but it was not long-lived because I graduated from university and went for a full-time job.”
Eventually he experimented with FL studio before returning to his favoured DAW of Ableton as he developed a more progressive sound.
“A big part of my production career: I worked in FL Studio until 2020. Then I switched to Ableton because FL seemed too chaotic to me when it came to organising separate tracks and windows. I really like Ableton; it’s a simple-to-understand DAW, and I can work really quickly according to my workflow. Almost always, I try to find a groove for a track, so I begin production with kick, bass, and some drums. I like interesting grooves; after all, it's dance music. In the latest version of Ableton, there are some really handy MIDI devices, sequencers with randomisers. It has a built-in Euclidean sequencer, which I used a lot in the form of a separate M4L device; I really like it for creating syncopated grooves. My sounds generally can be a bit dark or uplifting, but what holds it all together is the groove… And as for synths, I have two hardwares; the Roland SE-02 and the Korg Minilogue XD. I use the SE-02 mainly for bass, low stabs, and sometimes even for drums. But my main workflow still revolves around soft synths - Serum, Diva, Pigments, and a lot of vintage synth emulations like the 303, Juno 106, and Moog, of course. Also, I really like what Moog has done in recent years in the world of soft synths. Moog Mariana is my go-to synth, which I use in every track. For old-school sounding pads, I mostly use emulations of Oberheim, like G-force OB-X. “
Nelin’s skills as a producer and remixer are not to be underestimated, and between 2022-2023 alone he has had several successful releases and collaborations, including a formidable remix of "Western Sun" by Iranian minimal innovator ‘Habischman.’ Nelin has also worked on tracks for Kamilo Sanclemente, Aerial Grey, Javier Duque to name a few.
More recently when he understood that it was going to be hard to find a place to play as a DJ, he started a monthly podcast on YouTube and SoundCloud in 2023 called ‘Progressive City’ which plays fresh progressive house and melodic techno tunes.
It’s clear Nelin’s love for music shines through, despite the adversity and hardships of his homeland. But what next for the artist?
“For the last year, I realised that I am more comfortable with a more progressive sound than techno. I already have a scheduled release for this year on Balkan Connections. There are two tracks which I think will show what I will do for this year at least. It’s a bit similar to something like Paul Hazendonk, for example, or Four Candles. I really like those guys. My ultimate goal is to be at the top tier of the progressive scene. There will never be another John Digweed or Sasha. But to bring something new, to be able to share my music and the music that I like with as many people as I can - I suppose that is the main goal.”
With a spirit and talent like Nelin’s, we expect nothing less.
You can listen to Nelin’s recent release with Voodoo’s and Prayers here
Article written by Voodoo & Prayers contributor Rosie Riot
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